condoms – Dezeenhttps://www.dezeen.com
architecture and design magazineFri, 09 Dec 2016 13:24:12 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Condom material becomes sportswear for Pauline van Dongen's long-jump suithttps://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/21/skyn-condom-material-sportswear-long-jump-suit-pauline-van-dongen/
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/21/skyn-condom-material-sportswear-long-jump-suit-pauline-van-dongen/#commentsThu, 21 Jul 2016 14:32:31 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=940074Dutch fashion designer Pauline van Dongen has created experimental athletics apparel from the same material that contraceptives brand Skyn uses to make its condoms (+ movie). Van Dongen's proposal re-appropriates the company's Skynfeel material, which is made from polyisoprene – an alternative to latex that is claimed to provide the same strength but with a

Van Dongen's proposal re-appropriates the company's Skynfeel material, which is made from polyisoprene – an alternative to latex that is claimed to provide the same strength but with a softer, more natural feel.

It is used to create thinner condoms for increased sensitivity, and is safe to be worn by those with latex allergies.

Currently the only brand that makes polyisoprene condoms, Skyn asked Van Dongen to take the material "out of the bedroom and onto the running track".

The result is the Skynfeel Apparel jumpsuit, designed specifically for long-jumpers to help increase their aerodynamics and fly further through the air.

"No matter how you mould it or shape it, it's going to feel great on your body," she continued. "We asked ourselves, can we create an ultra-lightweight garment and mould it in a way that could help long jumpers perform better?"

The suit features dragonfly wing-inspired flaps on the edge of the body, constructed from a thin layer of the condom material and reinforced by a geometric laser-cut grid.

The flaps stay flat during the athlete's run-up, then open up after take-off to provide an upward lift that could extend time in the air.

"In the world of competitive sports, athletes look for every advantage," said Skyn senior global brand director David Chaker.

"We custom made an experimental suit for long jumpers to explore the possibility that our material could actually improve an elite athlete's performance."

The condom industry is continually trying to improve its products, simultaneously gunning for better stimulation and protection.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/21/skyn-condom-material-sportswear-long-jump-suit-pauline-van-dongen/feed/2Hex condom features a tear-resistant honeycomb surfacehttps://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/15/hex-condom-lelo-tear-resistant-honeycomb-surface-sex/
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/15/hex-condom-lelo-tear-resistant-honeycomb-surface-sex/#commentsWed, 15 Jun 2016 16:22:28 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=917664Swedish sex toy company Lelo has developed a condom with hexagonal-shaped cells that the company claims will tear less than others on the market. Hex was designed to tackle the most common consumer complaints about condoms – that they break, slip and reduce sensation. Its structural integrity and added grip comes from the addition of

]]>Swedish sex toy company Lelo has developed a condom with hexagonal-shaped cells that the company claims will tear less than others on the market.

Hex was designed to tackle the most common consumer complaints about condoms – that they break, slip and reduce sensation.

Its structural integrity and added grip comes from the addition of a hexagonal webbing, which means the product can withstand more stress than a regular condom, even though it is still made of latex.

"There's a reason why honeycombs are the shape they are, and why snake scales move the way they do," said Filip Sedic, inventor of Hex and founder of Lelo. "It's because hexagons are strong, symmetrical and tessellate perfectly."

"They're nature's go-to shape for anything needing to be at once lightweight, and incredibly strong."

Hex's hexagonal web is raised by 0.01mm on the inside of the condom in order to provide more grip and reduce slippage – like wet-weather tires.

The company demonstrates Hex's structural advantage on its website by showing it and a regular condom stretched over the rim of a glass.

Both are then pierced with a needle, and while the regular condom splits, Hex's surface remains more intact, arguably offering more protection.

The tear-resistant webbing in Hex is inspired by new ultra-thin material graphene, which is made up of carbon atoms densely packed into a hexagonal pattern.

Other scientists are combining graphene with latex to create condoms that are "thinner, stronger, safer and more pleasurable".

Hex is 0.045 millimetres thick compared to 0.07 millimetres for standard condoms, although ultra-thin varieties exist that are as fine as 0.02 millimetres.

Lelo's condom is the result of three years of research and four years of testing.

For decades, condoms have been made by dipping a cylindrical mould into a vat of liquid latex and peeling the material off when it dries.

To create the Hex condom, Lelo designed a specific mould engraved with a honeycomb pattern. The mould is first dunked into the latex mixture to fill the impressions, and again to cover the rest of the mould.

The latex condom was first introduced in the 1920s, when it surpassed the hand-dipped rubber sheathes used previously because it was both easier to produce and more comfortable to wear.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/15/hex-condom-lelo-tear-resistant-honeycomb-surface-sex/feed/4Australian scientists create ultra-thin condom from grass fibreshttps://www.dezeen.com/2016/02/24/australian-scientists-university-of-queensland-condom-product-design-grass-fibres/
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/02/24/australian-scientists-university-of-queensland-condom-product-design-grass-fibres/#commentsWed, 24 Feb 2016 06:00:19 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=856085A group of researchers at the University of Queensland has developed a new method of using fibres from grass to manufacture condoms that are "as thin as human hair". The scientists developed a way of extracting nanocellulose from the Australian native spinifex grass, which can be used as an additive in latex production. This allowed the team

]]>A group of researchers at the University of Queensland has developed a new method of using fibres from grass to manufacture condoms that are "as thin as human hair".

The scientists developed a way of extracting nanocellulose from the Australian native spinifex grass, which can be used as an additive in latex production.

This allowed the team to design and experiment with new material combinations for the contraceptive.

According to researcher Darren Martin, the addition of spinifex nanocellulose significantly improves the physical properties of latex, making condoms both stronger and more flexible.

"The great thing about our nanocellulose is that it's a flexible nano-additive, so we can make a stronger and thinner membrane that is supple and flexible, which is the holy grail for natural rubber," he said.

To create the material, the spinifex grass is chopped and pulped alongside sodium hydroxide until it resembles paper pulp.

It is then forced through a small hole under high pressure, which peels the nano-fibres away from the pulp. The nanocellulose is then placed in water, to which materials such as water-based rubber latex can be added.

The team has tested the latex formulation in the United States. They conducted a burst test that inflates condoms, and measures the volume and pressure.

"On average, it got a performance increase of 20 per cent in pressure and 40 per cent in volume compared to the commercial latex control sample," said Martin.

"With a little more refinement, we think we can engineer a latex condom that's about 30 per cent thinner, and will still pass all standards. Late last year we were able to get down to about 45 microns on our very first commercial dipping run, which is around the width of the hair on your head."

The team worked alongside the indigenous Queensland community of Indjalandji-Dhidhanu, which has long been using spinifex as an adhesive for spearheads.

An agreement between Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation and the team was signed to ensure that the local Aboriginal people will have ongoing equity and involvement in the commercialisation of nanocellulose technology.

Others have attempted to improve the experience of using birth control, including British designer Ben Pawle, who proposed a condom wrapper that would allow people with disabilities to open it using a simple finger-clicking action.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2016/02/24/australian-scientists-university-of-queensland-condom-product-design-grass-fibres/feed/7Francesco Musci's Tidy Tips are brightly coloured finger condomshttps://www.dezeen.com/2015/12/13/francesco-musci-tidy-tips-brightly-coloured-finger-condoms/
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/12/13/francesco-musci-tidy-tips-brightly-coloured-finger-condoms/#commentsSun, 13 Dec 2015 16:00:25 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=817159Italian designer Francesco Musci has created a set of latex fingertip covers designed to protect wearers' hands from greasy food and other substances. The disposable sheaths, described by the designer as finger condoms, are made from hypoallergenic latex and have been designed to roll down to just above the knuckle. "How many times do you rub

]]>Italian designer Francesco Musci has created a set of latex fingertip covers designed to protect wearers' hands from greasy food and other substances.

The disposable sheaths, described by the designer as finger condoms, are made from hypoallergenic latex and have been designed to roll down to just above the knuckle.

"How many times do you rub your fingers on your clothes whilst eating a packet of crisps?" said Musci, who studied product design at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera and now works as a freelance designer in Milan.

"Imagine spending the day whilst on public transport, whilst in the office or shaking hands and finally you wish to taste your snack," added the designer.

"Condoms in their original use are ergonomic and easily adaptable as they are made of latex," said Musci. "I shifted the idea to work for our fingers, changing its size and density of colour, to avoid them being transparent."

Available in a range of contrasting colours, Musci has suggested that a set of five Tidy Tips could be included with packets of greasy or messy food like crisps.

The coverings could also be used to protect smartphone screens while being used, or stop wearers from getting paint or ink on their hands. Photographs of the products in use show wearers picking their noses, rubbing teeth and squeezing pimples.

Condoms have proved a surprising source of inspiration for designers, with art collective Luz Interruptus finding a new use for them in light installations, and Czech designer Jan Vacek borrowing their tubular shape to create a collection of pendant lamps.

Others have attempted to improve the experience of using condoms. British designer Ben Pawle proposed a condom wrapper that would allow people with disabilities to open it using a simple finger-clicking action.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2015/12/13/francesco-musci-tidy-tips-brightly-coloured-finger-condoms/feed/19Luz Interruptus fills 3,000 condoms with water to create giant raindropshttps://www.dezeen.com/2015/11/13/luz-interruptus-condoms-giant-raindrops-waterman-arts-centre-london/
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/11/13/luz-interruptus-condoms-giant-raindrops-waterman-arts-centre-london/#commentsFri, 13 Nov 2015 06:00:59 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=800950Water and light-filled condoms that resemble oversized droplets hung over the heads of visitors to this London installation by Spanish studio Luz Interruptus. The designers created the Rain Interactive installation for the Waterman Arts Centre in Brentford, west of London. "We wanted to highlight the vital need of water and how abhorrent it is to privatise it

]]>Water and light-filled condoms that resemble oversized droplets hung over the heads of visitors to this London installation by Spanish studio Luz Interruptus.

The designers created the Rain Interactive installation for the Waterman Arts Centre in Brentford, west of London.

"We wanted to highlight the vital need of water and how abhorrent it is to privatise it and trade it for the profit of just a few," said the designers.

To construct the piece, the team used 3,000 extra-large and extra-strength condoms that were filled with blue-dyed water. A small autonomous light was added to each of the drops, allowing them to glow from within.